98th Division (United States)
|battles= World War II Operation Iraqi Freedom |decorations= |current_commander= Brigadier General Michaelene Kloster |identification_symbol= |identification_symbol_label=Distinctive Unit Insignia }} The 98th Infantry Division ("Iroquois") was a unit of the United States Army in the closing months of World War I and during World War II. The unit is now one of the U.S. Army Reserve's training divisions, officially known as the 98th Training Division (Initial Entry Training). The 98th Training Division's current primary mission is to conduct Initial Entry Training (IET) for new Soldiers. It is one of three training divisions subordinate to the 108th Training Command (IET). Following its initial organization in 1918, the 98th Training Division (IET) has experienced multiple cycles of activation, training, deployment and deactivation as well as substantial reorganizations and changes of mission. Since 1959, however, the 98th Training Division (IET) has been a unit of the U.S. Army Reserve with the primary mission of training Soldiers. Formerly headquartered in Rochester, New York with longstanding historical ties to New York and New England, the 98th Training Division (IET) was moved to Fort Benning, Georgia in 2012,98th Training Division moving from Rochester, N.Y. to Fort Benning, newspaper article by Ben Wright, correspondent for the Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, GA), 4 Sep 2012. Retrieved 23 Apr 2013. and exercises command and control of units located throughout the eastern U.S. as well as Puerto Rico. World War II The 98th was activiated as one of the Army's infantry divisions on 15 Sep, 1942 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky, filling its ranks primarily with Soldiers from the New York and New England regions. A "triangular" division organized around a three-regiment (the 389th, 390th and 391st Infantry Regiments) core, the 98th spent the next 18 months training on all aspects of warfighting at Camp Breckinridge,Kentucky, Camp Forrest, Tennessee and Camp Rucker, Alabama in anticipation of combat in the Asian theater. Arriving in Oahu, Hawaii on 19 April 1944, the roughly 15,000 Soldiers of the 98th relieved the 33rd Division of responsibility for the defense of the Hawaiian islands and continued training for deployment to Asia. Slated as a participant in Operation Olympic, scheduled for 1 November 1945 one of two planned invasions of Japan, the war drew to a close before the 98th was deployed to an active combat zone. Instead, the 98th Division arrived in Japan on 27 Sep 1945 and served in Osaka, Japan as part of the occupying force until 16 February 1946 when the unit was inactivated. Awards earned by 98th Division Soldiers during this period include: Legion of Merit-1; Soldier's Medal-8; Bronze Star −146. Commanding Generals during the World War II era were Major General Paul L. Ransom (September 1942 – November 1943), Major General George W. Griner, Jr. (November 1943-26 June 1944), Major General Ralph C. Smith (15 July 1944 – 30 August 1944) and Major General Arthur McK. Harper (November 1944 - 16 February 1946). Post World War II On 18 April 1947, the Iroquois Division was reactivated in Syracuse, New York on reserve status and began training for combat in the new Cold War environment. The reorganization of 1 May 1959, redesignated the 98th Infantry Division as the 98th Division (Training) and set the unit on a course lasting to the present - training Soldiers. The regimental heritage was retained with the 389th, 390th and 391st Infantry Regiments organized as Basic Combat Training (BCT) regiments and the 392nd Infantry Regiment organized as an Advanced Individual Training (AIT) regiment. Additional changes occurred in 1968 with the movement toward a brigade-based structure: the 389th Infantry Regiment became the 1st Brigade (BCT), the 390th Infantry Regiment became the 2d Brigade (BCT) and the 392nd Infantry Regiment became the 3rd Brigade (AIT-Engineer), the only Engineer Pioneer training unit in the Army Reserve at the time. The 3rd Brigade/392nd Infantry Regiment was based in Hillcrest, New York and performed Engineer AIT training of Soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri during their annual two week training periods throughout the Vietnam War. The changes of 1968 also ushered in the designation and training of Army Reserve Drill Sergeants, a significant and enduring innovation. Additional reorganization in 1994 redesignated the unit as the 98th Division (Institutional Training), a change in which the 98th retained its previous IET mission but also acquired the missions and force structure formerly associated with to the U.S. Army Reserve Forces schools. The 98th would maintain this basic organization and mission for the next 14 years. Post 9/11 On 3 September 2004, the 98th Division received mobilization orders for Operation Iraqi Freedom. This mobilization was to be the first overseas deployment for the unit since World War II. The mission, known as the Foreign Army Training Assistance Command (FA-TRAC), consisted primarily of training the new Iraqi Army and Iraqi security forces. An expeditionary force of more than 700 Iroquois warriors were trained and equipped at four sites: Camp Atterbury, Fort Bliss, Fort Hood and Fort Benning. The demands of Operation Iraqi Freedom required an accelerated training schedule which crammed as many warfighting skills as possible into a forty-one day period. This was the 98th's first substantial exposure to the asymmetric battlefield, requiring training in counterinsurgency techniques and preparing to face an opponent who did not fight along traditional fronts. The 98th made full use of the 33,000 acres at Camp Atterbury and marched everywhere. It was at Camp Atterbury that the Advisory Support Teams (later renamed Military Training Teams), the heart of the FA-TRAC mission, transformed to cohesive units in days that began in the dark morning hours and ended well after sunset. In fall 2004, the 98th Division arrived in Baghdad and filled the ranks of the Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq (MNSTC-I), the unit charged with assisting the Iraqi government in developing, training and equipping the new Iraqi security forces. Unlike those who served in World War II, this generation of warriors tapped into its vast pool of drill sergeant and instructor expertise and went about the business of training Iraqi soldiers and officers to prescribed standards under the constant threat of insurgent attack and under the most Spartan of conditions. In short order, instruction and support teams spread out across all points in Iraq from Al Kasik in the north to as far south as Umm Qasr. They wasted no time in establishing contact with Iraqi security units and connected with these soldiers with the help of interpreters. These dedicated warriors helped build the six divisions of the new Iraqi Army. They also established officer and noncommissioned officer education schools at the Kirkush Military Training Base. They trained Iraqi police, the Highway Patrol, the special Police Commandos and the Iraqi Border Police. As with their forebears of World War II, they built bridges of trust and friendship along the way.Iroquois Warriors in Iraq, by Steven E. Clay, published by Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 2007. Retrieved 26 Apr 2013. The service of the 98th did not stop with FA-TRAC. The division fielded soldiers to such other diverse locations as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Horn of Africa, Kuwait, Jordan and Afghanistan. Even in these remote locations, Iroquois warriors worked and contributed to the success of the mission. Five 98th Training Division Soldiers were killed in action during the division’s deployment to Iraq from 2004-2005. 98th Training Division Soldiers Honor Fallen Comrades, article written by Col. Paul Wegman Chief of Staff 98th Training Division (IET) for publication in [http://www.thegriffon108.com/ The Griffin], 20 Sep 2010. Retrieved 26 Apr 2013. Current Organization Headquarters: Fort Benning, Georgia First Brigade: Fort Benning, Georgia Second Brigade: Fort Jackson, South Carolina Third Brigade: Salem, Virginia Fourth Brigade: Amherst, New York General Nickname: Iroquois. Shoulder patch: The 98th Division Patch consists of a shield in the shape of the Great seal of the State of New York, with the head of an Iroquois Indian Chief. The five feathers represent the five original Iroquois nations: the Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga and Mohawk. The blue and orange-gold colors are those of the Dutch House of Nassau, the earliest settlers of New York State. Commanding Generals Major General Laddie Stahl (1964-1975) Stahl, Resford, May Be Named Undersecretary of the Army. Article by Lorraine Ray, Schenectady Gazette, 21 Feb 1961. Retrieved 23 Apr 2013.General Stahl Visits, article published in the Oswego Valley News (Fulton, NY), 27 Mar 1974. Retrieved 23 Apr 2013. Major General Harry Parmelee (1975-1979) Extract from Judas Goats and the Price of Broken Leadership by Victor Gomez, page 111. Published by RoseDog Books, Pittsburgh, PA, 2011. Major General Charles Barrett (1979-1982) Major General Charles D. Barrett, honorary remarks by Rep. John R. Kuhl, Volume 154, Number 79, Pages H3782, Legislative House, 14 May 14, 2008. Retrieved 23 Apr 2013. Major General Norbert Rappl (1982-1987) Norbert Rappl, R.O.T.C. Seneca Battalion Oral History Project, St. Bonaventure University (NY). Retrieved 23 Apr 2013. Brigadier General Dean Linscott (1987-1987) Major General Barclay Wellman (1988-1992) Extract from Judas Goats and the Price of Broken Leadership by Victor Gomez, page 140. Published by RoseDog Books, Pittsburgh, PA, 2011. Major General Thomas Sabo (1992-1996) Major General Peter Gannon (1996-2000) Promotion Announcement, relating to Peter A. Gannon, as published in a Memorandum for Correspondents (No. 267-M) by the U.S. Department of Defense in Defense''LINK'', 26 Dec 1996. Retrieved 24 Apr 2013. Major General Charles Wilson (2000-2002) Wilson selected as new USARC deputy commanding general, Army News article written by Headquarters, U.S. Army Reserve Command for publication in the Triad Online, 26 Apr 2002. Retrieved 24 Apr 2013.Maj. Gen. Charles E. Wilson profile, in article entitled, "African-American Leaders. Different Destinations: Same Service," in periodical US Black Engineer & Information Technology, Jan-Feb 2007, page 51. Retrieved 24 Apr 2013. Major General Bruce Robinson (2002-2007) DAY WORK TO DUTY, the autobiography of Major General Bruce E. Robinson, AUS Ret. Retrieved 25 Apr 2013.Retired General Back in South Hill, Practicing Law and Sharing What He Has Learned, book review by Day Work to Duty by Bruce E. Robinson authored by Dawn Chase in the periodical [http://www.vsb.org Virginia Lawyer], October 2009, Vol. 58, page 56. Retrieved 25 Apr 2013.Extract of Encounter With History: The 98th Division Institutional Training and the Global War on Terrorism, 2001-2005, edited by Timothy J Hansen, Jocene D. Preston; published in 2006 by Evolution Impressions; pages 6, 120, 170. Retrieved 25 Apr 2013.Iroquois Warriors in Iraq, by Steven E. Clay, published by Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 2007. Apprnedix B: 98th Division Key Personnel, 2004–2005, Page 253. Retrieved 26 Apr 2013. Brigadier General Robert Catalanotti (2007-2008) Major General Robert Catalanotti, USA ’80, Alumni, Assumption College (article from the spring 2006 issue of Assumption Magazine), updated 27 Jun 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2013.Excerpt of 108th Training Command Stands Ready as Force Multiplier, article written by Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Payne, published in The Griffon, 20 Sep 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2013. Brigadier General Robert Stall (2008-2010) Excerpt from General Officer Announcements: Nomination for promotion of Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Robert P. Stall, U.S. Department of Defense News Release, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs), 4 Aug 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2013. Brigadier General Dwayne Edwards (2010–2012) Brig. Gen. Dwayne Edwards, Commanding General 98th Training Division (IET), article in the Website of the U.S. Army Reserve, 2010, Retrieved 21 May 2013. Brigadier General Michaelene "Mikey" Kloster (2012–present) Colonel Mikey Kloster is the newest addition to the 98th Training Division, published by BenningTV as recorded on YouTube, 17 Dec 2012. Retrieved 23 Apr 2013.Headquarters, 98th Training Division (IET) Changes Command, article written by Master Sgt. Deborah P. Williams, 108th Training Command (IET) Public Affairs; published in The Griffon, quarterly periodical of the 108th Training command, 20 Feb 2013; Vol 38.1, Spring 2013 issueArmy Reserve commander gets star in ceremony Saturday, article by Ben Wright, published by the Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, GA), 27 Feb 2013. Retrieved 23 Apr 2013.Fort Benning Photo Gallery. Retrieved 21 May 2013. References An Encounter With History: The 98th Division and the Global War on Terrorism: 2001–2005: Publisher: Defense Department, Army, Army Reserve Command, 98th Division (Institutional Training) 098th Infantry Division, U.S. Infantry Division, U.S. 098 Category:Military units and formations established in 1942